"ah!"
Grandmother Jia had just lain down with a smile—old people, getting on in years, simply can't stand not getting some sleep—when suddenly a thunderclap boomed outside.
"Ahhh!"
"Ahhhhh..."
...
"What's wrong?" Grandmother Jia had no choice but to get up and go outside to see what had happened. She saw bedding scattered all over the floor, including blankets, pillows, and cushions. A throbbing pain shot through her temples. Looking at her silent granddaughter, she went over and hugged her with heartache.
"Good Jade? What's wrong?"
"Grandmother... Waaah!" Lin Daiyu received a look from Shen Ajiao, threw her handkerchief aside, and cried heartbrokenly. Seeing Lin Daiyu, she shed tears; smelling her tears was heartbreaking.
Feeling sorry for Lin Daiyu, Grandmother Jia kept comforting her. Lin Daiyu reluctantly asked, "Grandmother, do you not like me?"
Grandmother Jia was taken aback. "What are you saying? Your maternal grandmother loves you the most. How could you think such a thing?"
Lin Daiyu glanced at Shen Ajiao, who was watching the scene unfold, and said, "That means my cousin doesn't like me."
What do you mean?
Grandmother Jia was completely baffled. How could Baoyu not like Daiyu? Impossible!
"Then how come there are cockroaches on this bed? Waaah, Yu'er is scared."
Seeing this, Shen Ajiao also burst into tears, "Grandma, if you don't like us, we'll leave. But how can you scare us like this?"
"I just heard the maid say that this is...this is where the young master lives. This...this...oh dear, how can I say this? It's so embarrassing!"
As she spoke, Shen Ajiao hugged Lin Daiyu and the two of them and began to sob. Grandmother Jia felt that the sky was dark and gloomy, and dark clouds were pressing down on her, making it hard for her to breathe.
“Good child, no, no, listen to me, Baoyu… he hasn’t lived here for a long time; it was like this when he was little, but now that he’s grown up, I… I told him to move out.” Grandmother Jia was so anxious that she couldn’t speak coherently, not knowing what to say, her mind filled with how things had come to this.
"Since it's not your young master's residence, it must mean the old lady doesn't like us and wants to kick us out. All of us in this room can testify—there was a cockroach the size of two fingers on the bed." Shen Ajiao gestured exaggeratedly, glancing at the bed with lingering fear.
"Grandma, we're afraid we can't lie on this bed anymore!"
"Please, let us go!"
“Our master is a respectable third-rank official, and he came to visit relatives and friends, not because he was in trouble and came here seeking refuge. How can I not feel heartbroken!”
"Waaaaah, madam, I'm scared!"
...
"Mrs. Lin... Yu'er..."
Grandmother Jia was extremely anxious. She had originally wanted to create an opportunity for the two Yu'er to make the new wife look bad, but she never expected it to turn out like this.
Even if this quilt isn't washed every day, it's aired out every day, and it's turned over and washed every three to five days. How could there be cockroaches?
Let alone a cockroach, she had never even seen a small insect in all the years she had lived here. Could it be that Shen Ajiao was doing this on purpose? But… but who would use something like that to scare someone? Looking at the maids and servants inside, all of them looked terrified. Grandmother Jia sighed.
"Someone come and investigate!"
An investigation revealed something shocking: they caught Baoyu climbing out of the window at the door.
Grandmother Jia was furious when she saw Baoyu being brought in by the servants. "You wretched child!"
"The old lady must stand up for us."
Looking at Grandmother Jia's purplish-red face, Shen Ajiao inwardly laughed like a pig.
[Oh my god, heavens are on my side! What's with Baoyu showing up?]
[Oh God, am I going to wipe them all out today?]
"Grandmother, ouch, that hurts." Baoyu touched his ear, which was almost twisted off, and looked at Lin Daiyu embarrassedly. "I came to see my sister."
Grandmother Jia's expression softened somewhat. "Why didn't you use the door?"
Baoyu rubbed his hands together. “They said Grandmother was asleep and wouldn’t let anyone in, so I…” He glanced at Lin Daiyu furtively. “I missed Grandmother, so I climbed out the window.”
"You wretched creature, have you forgotten everything I taught you?" Grandmother Jia breathed a sigh of relief. Thank goodness she wasn't stupid and didn't say it directly. There was hope.
Just as they were about to give Baoyu a lecture and let him go, Shen Ajiao spoke up, "You...you can't leave!"
"No one is leaving this door today!"
Grandmother Jia was taken aback... What is this?
【What am I going to do? Of course, I'll strike while the iron is hot, hahaha!】
"My innocent daughter has been cheated on??"
"Isn't the old lady going to give us an explanation?"
[Haha, Lin Baobao, look closely at what kind of person this Baoyu is.]
Lin Daiyu: Madam, you're so kind. Actually, there's no need to demonstrate; I already know.
"This...this...let's start with this. It's all baseless, Mrs. Lin. We're both here, it's alright. It's just children being silly."
If you're still angry, you can drag them out and give them a beating, but you absolutely mustn't tell anyone and ruin the children's reputations.
Chen Ajiao… Oh no, I forgot, this also concerns Lin Daiyu's reputation, tsk… hehehe
【Oh dear, this old lady is still digging a hole for me. Dogs love to eat poop, so why are you blaming the person who pooped?】
[That's like a blind man playing the violin; you're talking nonsense!]
Lin Daiyu: Madam, could you be a little more civilized? My ears can't take it.
"Grandma! This is our first time here!"
"Go outside and talk about it, go outside and talk about it, let's see whose reputation gets ruined!"
[A barefoot person has nothing to fear. Go ahead and tell everyone, you darling! Let's see how your precious darling manages to survive in the capital. Anyway, you wouldn't dare go out and say anything; family scandals shouldn't be aired in public.]
"Mrs. Lin, let's talk this out. I know Baoyu has done wrong. You can scold or beat him without complaint, but this absolutely must not be leaked." Grandmother Jia was like an ant on a hot pan. This wasn't her own daughter, Jia Min; would she care about Baoyu's reputation?
What a wicked stepmother! Yu'er's reputation is ruined, which makes room for her own misfortune. You vicious woman! Yu'er, you've suffered so much! I pity your daughter! You died unjustly!
Grandmother Jia looked at Baoyu, who was standing to the side like a quail, and felt extremely distressed. Look how frightened the child is! What if something bad happens to him?
With a sigh, I'm going all out today for the sake of Baoyu and Yu'er's reputation!
"Does this seem appropriate, Mrs. Lin? Baoyu will be confined to his quarters for three months."
"Ah, Ancestor, I don't want to..."
"Shut up! You wretched child!" Grandmother Jia glared at Baoyu. "Get out of here."
“This is Yu’er’s first time coming to the capital. She is all alone and helpless. As her grandmother, I am worried about her. So, I have two hundred acres of good land in Tongzhou, plus a hill and a manor. I will give them all to Yu’er as a gift from your grandmother.”
Wow, that's impressive!
[Why wasn't the gift brought out earlier? Wasn't it prepared beforehand?]
Lin Daiyu paused for a moment: "Madam, you are so insightful."
"This...this is against the rules."
"It's alright. When your mother was alive, I loved her the most, and now your maternal grandmother loves you the most."
Good grief, it hurts because you used your mouth, doesn't it?
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